AIGA San Diego Tijuana Intrépido series: Toying with Design with Susan Merritt

On February 8, 2023, Susan Merritt will talk about the concept behind Toying with Design, the curation process, and share insights on some of the objects in the exhibition and their designers.

Following the presentation in the Mingei International Museum Theatre, she’ll lead a walk-through in the gallery.

Susan Merritt, Professor Emerita, San Diego State University

Susan Merritt is a graphic designer; design educator; design researcher, writer, and curator. She completed postgraduate study in graphic design at the Basel School of Design and earned an MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

During her 30-year tenure at SDSU’s School of Art + Design, Merritt developed a comprehensive curriculum in Graphic Design and taught a range of graphic design courses, eventually focusing on typography and graphic design history—all the while maintaining a professional practice.

She’s very proud of her former students and the leadership roles they’ve taken on in the community. Merritt is a founding member of AIGA San Diego and a contributing writer to AIGA’s Eye on Design blog. She researches and writes about visual communication, material culture, and design history.

Merritt and husband Calvin Woo co-founded Design Innovation Institute, a non-profit that fosters traditional and non-traditional areas of design and supports student scholarships.

She sits on San Diego Design Week’s advisory board and is an active member of SDDW’s steering committee. For SDDW22, Merritt curated Toying with Design, play inspires the everyday together with Patricia Cué, creative director of Mingei International Museum where the exhibition is on view through February 26, 2023. Merritt considers exhibitions an extension of teaching and an opportunity to educate visitors of the value of design.